Heather O'Rourke
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{Short description|American child actress (1975–1988)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Heather O'Rourke
| image = Heather O'Rourke in Happy Days (1982 ABC Press photo).jpg
| alt = Young female child with blonde hair posed
| caption = O'Rourke in 1982
| birth_name = Heather Michele O'Rourke
| birth_date = {{birth date|1975|12|27}}
| birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1988|2|1|1975|12|27}}
| death_place = San Diego, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1981–1988
| parents =
| relatives =
| family = Tammy O'Rourke (sister)
}}
Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. She had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist (1982), which received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre.{{Cite web |last=Fowler |first=Bella |date=2019-11-23 |title=Mysterious death of 80s childstar Heather O'Rourke and the 'Hollywood curse' surrounding it |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/mysterious-death-of-80s-childstar-heather-orourke-and-the-hollywood-curse-surrounding-it/ZODOLPETJFGNEAF72EEOGKRDQQ/ |access-date=2021-06-04 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}{{Cite web|date=2021-02-09|title=WandaVision & Poltergeist Crossover Art Theorizes Scarlet Witch is a Villain|url=https://screenrant.com/wandavision-poltergeist-crossover-art-scarlet-witch-villain/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}} She went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the last of which was released posthumously.
O'Rourke also worked in television, appearing in the recurring roles of Heather Pfister on the comedy series Happy Days (1982–1983) and Melanie in the sitcom Webster (1983), as well as starring as Sarah Brogan in the television-film Surviving: A Family in Crisis (1985).
Throughout her career, O'Rourke was nominated for six Young Artist Awards, winning once for her role in Webster. On February 1, 1988, O'Rourke died following two cardiac arrests, her cause of death later being ruled as congenital stenosis of the intestine complicated by septic shock.
Early life
Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego,{{cite web|url=http://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/deathcert/orourke,%20heather_dc.pdf|title=Heather O'Rourke death certificate|access-date=March 28, 2018|work=Autopsyfiles}}{{sfn|Harvey|Harvey|1996|p=122}} to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke.{{Cite news |date=1988-02-03 |title=Heather O'Rourke, 12; Starred in 'Poltergeist' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/03/obituaries/heather-o-rourke-12-starred-in-poltergeist.html |access-date=2025-01-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Austin |date=2024-01-19 |title=The Shocking Story Of Heather O'Rourke, The 'Poltergeist' Star Who Died Suddenly At Age 12 |url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/heather-orourke |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=All That's Interesting |language=en-US}} Her mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. Her parents divorced in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984, while they were living in a trailer park in Anaheim, California.{{cite web |last=Stark |first=John |last2=Hoover |first2=Eleanor |last3=Keogh |first3=Peter |name-list-style=and |date=June 13, 1988 |title=Heather O'Rourke's Grieving Mother Tells Why She's Suing Her Child's Doctors for Wrongful Death |url=https://people.com/archive/heather-orourkes-grieving-mother-tells-why-shes-suing-her-childs-doctors-for-wrongful-death-vol-29-no-23/ |access-date=December 30, 2019 |work=People}}{{cite web|url=http://people.com/archive/snatched-by-poltergeists-demons-heather-orourke-gets-some-bad-news-theyre-here-again-vol-25-no-23/|title=Snatched by Poltergeist's Demons, Heather O'rourke Gets Some Bad News—they're Here Again|first=Johnson|last=Bonnie|date=June 9, 1986|access-date=March 28, 2018|work=People}} Her success later allowed the family to purchase a home in Big Bear Lake, California. Between acting jobs, O'Rourke attended Big Bear Elementary School, where she was president of her fifth grade class.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2MxRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6698,584973|title=Child actress Heather O'Rourke|date=February 3, 1988|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=6|access-date=January 21, 2013}} At the time of her death, the family was living in Lakeside, California, a suburb of San Diego.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g8c_AAAAIBAJ&pg=1058,390623|title=Child star of 'Poltergeist,' Heather O'Rourke, dies|date=February 3, 1988|work=The Vindicator|page=44|access-date=January 21, 2013}}
Acting career
In a contemporary interview with American Premiere magazine, producer Steven Spielberg explained that he was looking for a "beatific four-year-old child...every mother's dream" for the lead in his horror film Poltergeist (1982).{{sfn|Spielberg|Friedman|Notbohm|2000|pages=88–89}} While eating in the MGM commissary,{{cite web|date=February 3, 1988|title=Heather O'Rourke, 12; Starred in 'Poltergeist'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/03/obituaries/heather-o-rourke-12-starred-in-poltergeist.html|access-date=January 21, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times}} Spielberg saw five-year-old O'Rourke having lunch with her mother{{sfn|Spielberg|Friedman|Notbohm|2000|pages=88–89}} while older sister Tammy O'Rourke was shooting Pennies from Heaven.{{YouTube|id=au-QUyjOF7A|title=Heather O'Rourke Story}} (A Current Affair) After his lunch, Spielberg approached the family and offered O'Rourke the Poltergeist role; she was signed the next day over Drew Barrymore, who instead received the role of Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.{{sfn|Spielberg|Friedman|Notbohm|2000|pages=88–89}}{{sfn|Simpson|2010|p=195}}
{{listen|filename=There here.wav.ogg|title=They're here!|description=O'Rourke's performance of her famous line from Poltergeist|format=Ogg}}
In Poltergeist, O'Rourke played Carol Anne Freeling, a young suburban girl who becomes the conduit and target for supernatural entities. During production, Spielberg twice accommodated the child actress when she was frightened; when she was scared by performing a particular stunt, Spielberg replaced O'Rourke with a stunt double wearing a blonde wig, and when she was disturbed by the portrayal of child abuse, Spielberg did not require her to perform the take again.{{sfn|Brode|2000|pages=103–104}} For her work on the film, O'Rourke earned between $35,000 and $100,000.{{cite magazine |year=1982 |title=Money |location=New York City |volume=11 |page=140|journal=Money |issn=0015-8259}} Poltergeist would go on to receive a cult following and critical acclaim, garnering three Academy Award nominations{{Cite web|title=The 55th Academy Awards {{!}} 1983 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983 |access-date=2021-06-04|website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|language=en}} and a Young Artist Award nomination for O'Rourke. She was lauded for her performance, with The New York Times noting that she played a key role, writing that "With her wide eyes, long blonde hair and soft voice, she was so striking that the sequel played off her presence." Her delivery of the lines "They're here!" in the first film, and "They're baa-aack!" in the second (that film's tagline), placed her in the collective pop culture consciousness of the United States.{{cite book| title=People: Gone Too Soon: Remembering 65 Celebrities Who Died Too Young| edition=illustrated| year=2007| publisher=Time Home Entertainment| location=New York City| isbn=978-1-933821-17-7| page=89}} "They're here!" is ranked No. 69 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Movie Quotes,{{Cite web |title=AFI's 100 YEARS…100 MOVIE QUOTES|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movie-quotes/|access-date=2021-06-05|website=American Film Institute|language=en}} and PopSugar included the line on their list of "100 Greatest Movie Quotes".{{Cite web|date=May 16, 2021|first=Jacklyn|last=Krol|title=2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards: See the Full List of Winners |website=PopCrush |url=https://popcrush.com/2021-mtv-movie-tv-awards-winners-list/ |access-date=2021-06-04}}
After her work in Poltergeist (1982), O'Rourke secured several television and TV movie roles. In April 1983, she starred as herself alongside Morey Amsterdam and well-known Walt Disney animated characters in the hour-long television special, Believe You Can...and You Can!{{sfn|Cotter|2009|p=10}}{{cite news |date=March 19, 1983|title=Miss O'Rourke, Morey Amsterdam in TV special|page=5|newspaper=Indiana Gazette|agency=Associated Press |location=Indiana, Pennsylvania}} She also appeared in CHiPs, Webster, The New Leave It to Beaver, Our House, and had a recurring role on Happy Days as Heather Pfister. For Webster, O'Rourke won her first Young Artist Award. She also appeared in the television movies Massarati and the Brain and Surviving: A Family in Crisis.{{cite news|title=Heather O'Rourke|work=The New York Times|department=Movies & TV Dept. |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/53639/Heather-O-Rourke/filmography|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813022308/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/53639/Heather-O-Rourke/filmography |archive-date=August 13, 2009}} O'Rourke went on to reprise the role of Carol Anne Freeling in the second and third installments, Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988 respectively; unlike its predecessor, the films garnered mixed reviews,{{Cite news|last=Darnton|first=Nina|date=1986-05-23 |title=SCREEN: JOBETH WILLIAMS IN SEQUEL, POLTERGEIST II' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/23/movies/screen-jobeth-williams-in-sequel-poltergeist-ii.html|access-date=2021-06-04 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|date=1988-02-03|title=Obituary for Heather O'Rourke (Aged 12)|pages=48|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41448354/obituary-for-heather-orourke-aged-12/|access-date=2021-06-04}}{{Cite web|date=1988-06-11|title=Movie Reviews: 'Poltergeist III' Goes Through the Looking Glass |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-11-ca-4050-story.html|access-date=2021-06-04 |website=Los Angeles Times}} although O'Rourke's performances were praised. Poltergeist III was her final feature, released in June 1988, four months after her death.
Illness and death
In early 1987, O'Rourke became ill with giardiasis, which she contracted from well water at her family's home in Big Bear Lake. She was subsequently diagnosed as having Crohn's disease. She was prescribed cortisone injections to treat the disease during the time she was filming Poltergeist III.{{cite book |last=Nash |first=Jay Robert |author-link=Jay Robert Nash |title=The Motion Picture Guide Annual |last2=Ross |first2=Stanley Ralph |author-link2=Stanley Ralph Ross |publisher=Cinebooks |year=1989 |page=132}} The steroidal injections resulted in facial swelling of the cheeks, which O'Rourke's mother said she was very self-conscious about.File:Heather O'Rourke crypt 2.jpg
On January 31, 1988, O'Rourke began exhibiting flu-like symptoms. The following morning, she collapsed in her home, and was rushed to Community Hospital in El Cajon. En route, she suffered cardiac arrest, but paramedics were able to restart her heart at 9:25{{nbsp}}a.m. She was subsequently flown to the Children's Hospital of San Diego, where it was discovered she had intestinal stenosis and went into emergency surgery. She survived the surgery, but suffered another cardiac arrest while in the recovery room. Doctors performed CPR for over 30 minutes, but O'Rourke was pronounced dead at 2:43 that afternoon.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/355ac4e0f2b6bd8109f766de6ec0dfb8|work=Associated Press|title=Doctors: Unusual Circumstances Surrounded Actress' Death|date=February 4, 1988|last=Siegel|first=Fred|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190830193726/https://apnews.com/355ac4e0f2b6bd8109f766de6ec0dfb8|archive-date=August 30, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=January 1, 2020}}{{cite news|work=Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41448354/obituary_for_heather_orourke_aged_12/|title=Heather O'Rourke, 12, a star of 'Poltergeist'|page=48|via=Newspapers.com|date=February 3, 1988}} O'Rourke's cause of death was ruled congenital stenosis of the intestine{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Bob |date=May 26, 1988 |title=Suit Blames Doctors in Death of Young Actress |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-26-mn-5241-story.html |access-date=May 14, 2024 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=35 |issn=0458-3035 |oclc=3638237}} complicated by septic shock.{{cite news|title= 'Poltergeist' Star Heather O'Rourke Dies at Age of 12|first= Burt A.|last= Folkart|url= http://ar;ticles.latimes.com/1988-02-03/news/mn-27226_1_poltergeist-iii|newspaper= Los Angeles Times|location= Los Angeles, California, US|issn= 0458-3035|oclc= 3638237|date= February 2, 1988|page= 3|access-date= May 17, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121105201058/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-03/news/mn-27226_1_poltergeist-iii|archive-date= November 5, 2012|url-status= dead}}{{cite news|title=Heather O'Rourke, Star of 'Poltergeist' movies, dies at 12|date=February 2, 1988|work=San Jose Mercury News|page=6A}}
Daniel Hollander, the head of gastroenterology at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center stated that O'Rourke's death was "distinctly unusual" as she lacked prior symptoms of the bowel defect: "I would have expected a lot of [digestive] difficulties throughout her life and not just to have developed a problem all of a sudden." However, Dr. Hollander further stated that it was possible for congenital bowel narrowing to cause sudden death without symptoms if an infection caused the bowel to rupture. A private funeral was held for O'Rourke on February 5 in Los Angeles, and she was entombed at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes ! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| 1982
| rowspan="3" | Carol Anne Freeling | | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| {{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/heather-orourke-p53639/filmography|work=AllMovie|title=Heather O'Rourke Filmography|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200101063456/https://www.allmovie.com/artist/heather-orourke-p53639/filmography|archive-date=January 1, 2020}} |
| scope="row"| 1986
| Poltergeist II: The Other Side | |
| scope="row"| 1988
| Posthumous release |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes ! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| 1981
| Young Liza Blake | Episode: "Elizabeth's Baby / The Artist and the Lady" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Lentz|1983|p=1237}} |
| scope="row"| 1982–1983
| Heather Pfister | Recurring role; 12 episodes |
| scope="row"| 1982
| Skye Henry |
| scope="row"| 1983
| CHiPs | Lindsey | Episode: "Fun House" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
| scope="row"| 1983
| Sunny Kimball | Episode: "The Woman in White" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
| scope="row"| 1983
| Webster | Melanie | Recurring role; 3 episodes | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
| scope="row"| 1984
| Jillian Marsh | Episode: "Yesterday's Child" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
| scope="row"| 1985
| Surviving: A Family in Crisis | Sarah Brogan | Television film |
| scope="row"| 1986–1987
| Heather | Episodes: "Material Girl", "Bad Poetry" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
| scope="row"| 1986
| Around the Bend | The Daughter | Television film |
| scope="row"| 1987
| Dana | Episode: "A Point of View" | style="text-align:center;"| {{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/heather-orourke/153376/|work=TV Guide|title=Heather O'Rourke Credits|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200101063936/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/heather-orourke/153376/|archive-date=January 1, 2020}} |
| scope="row"| 1987
| Russian Girl | Episode: "Moscow on the Boardwalk" | style="text-align:center;"| {{sfn|Parish|Terrace|1989|p=279}} |
Accolades
= Awards and nominations =
O'Rourke was nominated for a collective six Young Artist Awards, one of which was won for her performance on the series Webster in 1985.
Heather was nominated for a collective six Young Artist Awards, one of which was won for her performance on the series Webster in 1985.
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result |
|---|
| scope="row"|1983
| rowspan="6" |Young Artist Award |Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series |{{nominated}} |
| scope="row"|1983
|Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |{{nominated}} |
| scope="row"|1984
| rowspan="2" |Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Television Series | rowspan="2" |Webster |{{nominated}} |
| scope="row"|1985
|{{won}} |
| scope="row"|1986
|Best Young Actress in a Television Special or Mini-Series |{{nominated}} |
| scope="row"|1987
|Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |Poltergeist II: The Other Side |{{nominated}} |
= Honors =
- On the American Film Institute's 2005 list of "100 Movie Quotes", O'Rourke's delivery of "They're here!" in Poltergeist is ranked No. 69.
- On PopSugar's 2021 list of "100 Greatest Movie Quotes", O'Rourke's delivery of "They're here!" in Poltergeist is listed.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Sources
{{ref begin|30em}}
- {{cite book |last=Brode |first=Douglas |title=Films of Steven Spielberg |edition=2nd |year=2000 |publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York City, New York |isbn=0-806-51951-7}}
- {{cite book |last=Cotter |first=Bill |title=The Wonderful World of Disney Television: A Complete History |edition=illustrated |date=May 31, 2009 |orig-year=1997 |publisher=Disney Hyperion |location=New York City, New York |isbn=978-0-7868-6359-4}}
- {{cite book |last1=Harvey |first1=Diana |last2=Harvey |first2=Jackson |year=1996 |title=Dead Before Their Time |isbn=978-1-567-99284-7 |location=New York City, New York |publisher=Friedman/Fairfax |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/deadbeforetheirt0000harv}}
- {{cite book |last=Lentz |first=Harris |year=1983 |title=Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film and Television Credits |isbn=978-0-899-50070-6 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionho0002lent}}
- {{cite book |last=Parish |first=James Robert |author-link=James Robert Parish |last2=Terrace |first2=Vincent |year=1989 |title=The Complete Actors' Television Credits, 1948-1988 |volume=2 |isbn=978-0-810-82258-0 |location=Metuchen, New Jersey |publisher=Scarecrow Press}}
- {{cite book |last=Simpson |first=Paul |title=The Rough Guide to Cult Movies |edition=3rd |year=2010 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-405-38322-6 |location=New York City, New York}}
- {{cite book |last=Spielberg |first=Steven |last2=Friedman |first2=Lester D. |last3=Notbohm |first3=Brent |editor-last=Friedman |editor-first=Lester D. |editor-last2=Notbohm |editor-first2=Brent |title=Steven Spielberg: Interviews |isbn=1-578-06113-X |author-link=Steven Spielberg |url=https://archive.org/details/stevenspielbergi00spie |url-access=registration |year=2000 |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |location=Jackson, Mississippi}}
{{ref end}}
External links
{{Commons category|Heather Michele O'Rourke}}
- {{IMDb name|0001576}}
- {{tcmdb name|id=143731|name=Heather O'Rourke}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orourke, Heather}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Anaheim, California
Category:Actresses from San Diego
Category:American child actresses
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Category:Deaths from digestive disease
Category:Deaths from sepsis in the United States
Category:Child deaths from disease